Goddess of the moon

The Peace River begins her meandering path in Polk County, Florida.  She winds lazily down to Charlotte County Harbor estuary.  Many years ago the Peace River was known as “Rio de la Paz” river of peace.  The Seminoles called it Tallackchopo (cow peas).

The river is a contradiction of shallow and clear and deep and dark.  It is also sandy, rocky and a combination of both.

We started our adventure in the town of Arcadia in DeSoto County.  There are several places along the river to rent canoes.  We chose the Canoe Outpost mainly for their impressive website. ( http://www.canoeoutpost.com/Peace/peace1.html )

The Outpost has screens and shovels to borrow for your fossil hunting experience.  You can also use your hands and a kitchen strainer.  We used a very fine laundry bag to collect our specimens.  Some shark teeth are very small and would slip through large openings. 

According to the website the best times for fossil hunting is March, April and May.  We went in July.  The water level is usually low from March to May. 

We were bussed about 5 miles up river and our canoes were put in the water.  This allowed us to paddle with the current.  We paddled down stream and I was the look-out person for gators.  The water was dark with many downed trees and limbs so gator spying was difficult.  Several times we heard a splash in the water near the shore but saw no movements.  We were told don’t bother them and they won’t bother you.  So I had all intentions of staying out of their way. 

The river was shallow at our starting point and was the color of sweet tea.  We paddled slowly down the curving river and came across a shallow area.  The water was very clear with a small rocky sandbar.  There are many private dwellings on the river with ‘No Trespassing’ signs.

  We pushed our canoe on the sand bar, grabbed our gear and heading toward the middle of the river.  The current was quite swift so we chose to start our expedition closer to the sandbar and the canoe in case we needed to have a quick getaway.  I searched the area for resident gators.  There were none. 

My husband dumped the first shovel full into the screen and I shook it with a vengeance.  I rubbed my hands through the stones and saw it.  A perfect specimen lay in my screen.  I was so excited as I reached in and grabbed the black shiny shark’s tooth.  Overcome by excitement of my find I fell face first into the water and rolled directly into the current.  I dropped the screen and it started floating down the river.  My grandson retrieved it and we started again. 

All total we collected 27 shark’s teeth, 1 gator tooth, three bone fragments and 2 mysteries teeth.  I called them my baby Megladon teeth.  That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. 

I haven’t been tent camping in several years.  So I decided to experience the journey once again.  Certain aspects of camping have faded from my memory.  How soon we forget stuff.

Like

1. the actual size of a pup tent

2. sand is hard

3. sand is cold

4.hard, cold sand is not fun to sleep on

5. sharing one sleeping bag with another warm & gassy body

6. rough heels making contact with a nylon sleeping bag

7. sleeping in sweats

8. sparks from the campfire hitting the pup tent

9. sand inside the sleeping bag

10. zippers stuck

11. tent stakes protruding 3 inches from the hard, cold sand

12. ropes attached to the tent stakes protruding from the hard, cold sand

13. chips left on the picnic table

14. raccoons

15. flashlights (2) with dead batteries

16. temperatures dropping

17. lost key to the locked restroom

18. damp matches

19. finding a secluded bush at 3am

20. morning dew on a nylon pup tent

21. hot coffee

22. ice in the cooler - now water

Things about tent camping I dislike!

People camping (HA) in a climate controlled 30 foot RV powered by a 100 watt generator with a king size bed encased in 600 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets, fleece blankets, an unlocked bathroom,toilet tissue, heated floors, microwave, plasma T.V., chips in a sealed container, automatic levelers, electricity, ice maker and hot coffee in porcelain cups.

So i’m packing for the camping trip with trepidation.  My last camping excursion was a disaster.  I had this wonderful huge tent and three comfy cots for all of us.  We set up camp at the end of a roadway.  A roadway that had all the appearances of being flat.  What we did not realize at the time was that this unsuspecting roadway became a channel for rampant rain water.  It had a slight incline that when dry is hidden but oh when that rain comes pouring down.  We were sitting in a gully being washed away with the storm.  Actually we were almost asleep when the deluge hit.  All my camera equipment and the lap top were nestled under the comfy cots.  The rain started and within minutes we had 6 inches of water inside our big roomy tent.  Digital cameras and laptops do not fare well in water.  So I vowed NEVER to go camping again. Never say never!  This time it will be sleeping bags and a pup tent instead of comfy cots and a huge tent.  The new laptop will stay home and the new cameras will stay in the vehicle.  This is the dry season in Florida so perhaps it will not rain.  Hurricane season is over so we won’t be blown away.  We will be camping on the Gulf of Mexico so lets hope we don’t have a storm surge.  Beach camping and high tide are another adventure we survived once a long time ago.

My first visit to Zion National Park left me utterly speechless.  I stood there surrounded by natural splendor in a daze.  My mouth was open most of the time while I surveyed the landscape.  I was so enthralled with the magic that I had a camera in each hand.  Each site I saw was more stunning than the previous.  The weather in June (early morning) was quite brisk.  I was so happy that I packed a light jacket.  The sun does not make an appearance down in the canyons and parts of the Virgin River till later in the day.  And that wonderfully refreshing river is marvelous for tired aching feet.  I cannot even say what part of the park impressed me the most.  The entire park was mind boggling.  I spent an entire day there which was not nearly enough time to wet an appetite.  My plan is to return in the summer and spend more time absorbing the beauty Zion has to offer.

The weather has cooled a bit so it’s a perfect time to take a hike in Florida.  I chose one of my favorites places the beach hike at Honeymoon Island State Park.  I loaded Ron (my 100 pound German Shepard) into the truck and off we went.  In Ron’s previous life I believe he was a fish.  He loves the water.  I strapped on his backpack and the hike began.  We actually made it about 10 feet into the trail when his pack slid off.  The contents were not evenly distributed.  A half gallon jug of water on one side and a pack of raisins on the other.  I added a couple of my camera lenses into the raisin side to even out the weight.  Off we go.  I noticed a beautiful lone Black-eyed Susie calling me for a candid shot.  I crept into the underbrush dropped down low to get an up close angle.  Ron followed me into the brush for backup.  I headed back to the path and felt a shark pain on my thigh.  Ouch, every step I took hurt.  I looked down and there they were.  About 30 sandspurs had attacked my nylon shorts.  It’s hard to descibe the pain that one small sandspur can inflict on a body.  You try to pull them out and then they become lodged in your fingers.  They hurt for hours.  Ron had a few between the pads of his feet and he was able to chew them out.  Onward we trecked.  I forgot to mention that Ron is hyperactive and his sensory perception was on overload.  He could smell the salty air and hear the gulls screeching.  He was tugging on the leash causing the unstable backpack to lean from one side to the other.  I noticed the backpack dripping water somehow the top had come lose and the water was leaking out.  Another stop to attend to the backpack.  Finally I gave up trying to be leader of the pack and unleashed him.  I know it’s against the rules but he needed to release his energy.  Off he went right into the warm gulf waters, backpack and all.  “Oh please don’t roll in the water my lenses are in there.”   After an hour long romp in the surf we headed back down the trail on the lookout for those deadly sandspurs.

I’m vulnerable and have crumbled to the pressure of mass marketing. I bought a fancy pair of running shoes.  I had noticed so many terrific runners wearing them so I took the plunge.  I wanted to look kool, sporty and knowledgeable.  I wanted to be on that cutting edge.  Do I run?  No, never have and probably never will.  My justification for the purchase is that they were on the clearance rack.  How could I pass by such a bargain?  And they are so very comfortable.   So I become a little uncomfortable when comments are made about my sporty new footwear. 

“Oh, you’re a runner?” 

I squirm with anxious concern. “No,” slips from my lips with a quiet remorse.  I look down at my shoes and then flash a half smile at the commenter.  I go full charge ahead into my defensive mode.  Also I would be mortified to admit I have fallen prey to pressure, hype and fashion status statements.

I describe my recent foot surgery and the ongoing recovery.  And I go into specific detail about the comfort factor of these fine shoes.  I tell them that next to chocolate these babies rock.  I don’t mention the sale factor.  I think I almost have ESP because I can hear their thoughts.  They think I may run again after I have recuperated from my surgical procedure.  And then their mind swirls around the possibility I received this injury from my extensive running schedule.  My smile becomes the rising sun of facial expressions.  I prance off in my shoes with just a slight limp.  I turn around to see if they are observing my departure.  They are no where in sight, probably looking for a shoe store.

I am a recovering water bottle purchaser.  I decided it was an abuse to the environment. So I began purchasing water in gallon containers.  It seemed less wasteful.  I never leave home without a bottle of water.  When hiking, walking or biking are involved I need mass quantities of the life saving energy.  It is so difficult climbing up El Capitan dragging a gallon jug of liquid gold. Riding my bike with the gallon jug in the basket became treacherous.  Every bump or sidewalk crack I hit bucked the water jug right out of my basket. I did a drift dive down the Rainbow River with a gallon jug of water tied to my dive flag float.  Some tales should go untold. I needed my water !  What to do?  Buying single bottles was against my life goals.  Looking for a water source along the secluded path (a clean one) was an impossible feat.  Although one of my favorite bike trails has installed water stations along the 13 mile trail.  Thank you so much.  What to do about every other place where my journeys take me?  I needed an answer for my containerization issue.  I purchased two heavy duty water bottles with  clips  from one of my favorite outlets.  I can clip it to my waist, my backpack or my camera case. For long travels I stash one in my backpack.  It is so convenient and i’m still being environmentally correct.   I store extra gallons of water in my vehicle.  I am now considering a camelpak to transport my precious liquid. No more dragging gallon containers across the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Fill, clip and go.

Blister, heel spurs and general aches and pains.  Be prepared before you take a hike.  This also includes little trips throughout our fantastic National Parks.  You just might pull off the side of the road to explore and find yourself on a mile long hike.  Ouch that hurts in my flip flops, sandals or wingtips.  If your feet hurt you hurt all over and pleasure becomes torture.  Do not buy a new pair of hiking boots or sneakers on day one and go for a ten mile hike on day two.  Wear them around the house for a few hours a day.  Let your feet get to know them on a very close and personal basis.  Make sure they fit properly.  Make sure they feel comfortable.  It doesn’t matter how pretty or popular they are.  How do they make you feel?  And it should be good.  So to be on the safe side always carry a few band aids with you.  There are very few (if any at all) drugstores in the middle of a National Park.  You can hobble back to the visitor center but by then there is trouble in paradise.  I usually keep several pair in my car and take a spare pair with me on a hike. 

Some of my favorite footwear –

http://www.merrellboot.com/Home.aspx

http://www.llbean.com/?qs=5090269-performics_24198595

http://www.ryka.com/

Walk on my friend with your feet riding in comfort and support.